33. Turmoil

Seeing Zhou Suirong standing frozen, Wang Da poked him in the elbow and said, "What are you dazed for? Aren't you going over?"

Zhou Suirong hadn't made up his mind, unsure if his appearance was appropriate. Seeing this, Wang Da swiveled his clever little head, nodded in understanding, and signaled with a gesture that he needn't say more.

To be a kept man, one must know how to endure humiliation. It made sense.

Perhaps their gazes were too intense, for Fang Qingzhou seemed to sense it and looked toward them. Upon locking eyes, she beckoned them over.

Wang Da’s venomous tongue didn't get a chance to work its magic before Zhou Suirong abandoned him and strode toward her.

As he got closer, Zhou Suirong recognized Yan Jianyuan as a former business partner. Unable to recall his name for a moment, he said politely, "Long time no see. What a coincidence to run into you in B City."

Yan Jianyuan swept a glance over his face with half-closed eyes, his gaze carrying a touch of chill that made Zhou Suirong gradually retract his smile.

A car pulled up steadily in front of them, and a bodyguard stepped forward to open the door.

Yan Jianyuan paused by the car. Before leaving, he took one more look at Fang Qingzhou, a smile that was nearly impossible to catch appearing on his cold face: "This will be a lively drama. I hope you enjoy it."

Fang Qingzhou did not respond, not even deigning to offer a perfunctory "take care."

Zhou Suirong watched him leave, still pondering where he might have offended the man. Finding no answers, he turned to ask Fang Qingzhou: "What did he want with you? And what was his name again?"

Fang Qingzhou said solemnly, "He was provoking me."

Zhou Suirong thought to himself: If anything, he was provoking me. The daggers in his eyes suggested he wanted to slice me up.

"Then don't worry about him," Zhou Suirong said. "Some people are just so... hmm? A mad scientist?"

Hearing this cursed term again, Fang Qingzhou displayed a hint of inescapable despair: "Must this title be carried on?"

"Forget it, let's not mention him." Zhou Suirong stepped onto the curb, stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Fang Qingzhou, and began to seek justice for himself. "Boss Fang, do you know what kind of reputation I’ve developed at Wang Da’s end? You really should save me some face, shouldn't you?"

Fang Qingzhou moved up a step to keep their eye levels even.

Zhou Suirong: "??"

Fang Qingzhou stared at him, her heavy expression as if brewing something. After a moment, she sternly accused: "You are being outrageous."

"Me? Outrageous?" Zhou Suirong always found it amusing when she wore that serious, deadpan expression. "Did I make another mistake?"

Fang Qingzhou let out an "mm," leaned her weight forward onto him, and let her head hang listlessly against the hollow of his shoulder.

"Then what should I do? I don't know what mistake I made." Zhou Suirong said this, but his hands had already obediently wrapped around her. Sensing the subtle gazes drifting their way, he whispered against her ear, "Fang Qingzhou, people are watching you."

Fang Qingzhou said coldly, "What does that have to do with me?"

Zhou Suirong smiled. He didn't laugh out loud, but the vibration of his chest communicated it to Fang Qingzhou through their pressed skin.

Fang Qingzhou absorbed his body heat; he was a bit hot, accompanied by a lingering scent of alcohol. Her limbs went limp and languid, hanging on him as if she had no bones.

Zhou Suirong felt her sliding down, so he simply picked her up and asked, "Liang Yizheng is coming. Do you intend to go back to the hotel, or stay to see him?"

Fang Qingzhou "rebooted" from standby mode, lifted her head, tilted it back slightly, looked at him for a while, and asked suspiciously, "Liang Yizheng is coming?"

Zhou Suirong, confused, said, "Yes. Wang Da received a call from him earlier saying he was coming over for dinner. He’ll be here soon. Why?"

Fang Qingzhou turned her neck to look at the crowd intermingling amidst the lights and said slowly, "I was just wondering why Yan Jianyuan knew so quickly that I was here. And why the killer who murdered Jiang Ping knew exactly when Liang Yizheng would be holding a party at the villa. It’s Wang Da."

Zhou Suirong had been "downwardly compatible" all night, led astray by Wang Da’s intelligence, and blurted out without thinking: "Wang Da is an accomplice?"

Fang Qingzhou turned back to him: "...?"

Zhou Suirong coughed dryly, forcefully pulled back the misaligned thought, and changed his tune: "Wang Da’s phone is being monitored?"

Fang Qingzhou said, "Possibly."

Fang Qingzhou recalled the words "lively" and "enjoy" that Yan Jianyuan had left behind, feeling they held deeper meaning. She said, "Tell Liang Yizheng not to come."

Zhou Suirong set her down and fished his phone out of his pocket. Before he could make contact, he saw Liang Yizheng appear across the street.

Zhou Suirong strode toward him.

Liang Yizheng was typing on his screen, giving the road a hasty glance to ensure there was no traffic before burying his head and walking forward.

Wang Da shouted, "Brother Liang!" and stood up, waving his arms to signal.

Liang Yizheng followed the sound, walked straight to Wang Da, glanced down at the messy table, kicked the chair in front of him with his foot, but did not sit.

Wang Da was talking to him while holding a beer bottle and did not notice that at the small table behind him, a young man had put down his chopsticks and stood up as well.

Zhou Suirong saw the man reach toward his waist with one hand and sneakily circle behind Wang Da. His instinct for danger was suddenly maxed out, and he let out a sharp cry, sprinting toward them like a speeding arrow.

"Liang Yizheng—!"

Liang Yizheng smelled the stench of alcohol sprayed from Wang Da’s mouth, held his breath, and leaned back, fighting the urge to gag. As he looked around in annoyance, he also noticed the man’s unnatural movements.

When the dark glint of a blade flashed from beneath the man’s hem, he instinctively grabbed Wang Da’s arm and dragged him in front of himself.

Fortunately, Wang Da was half-drunk, his body as heavy as a giant sandbag. Dragged by the force, his feet stayed planted, but he tumbled forward clumsily. This collision knocked Liang Yizheng over as well, causing them both to fall heavily to the ground, luckily dodging the man’s horizontal slash.

The surrounding people thought someone had just had too much to drink and lost their balance; they looked over with little interest and stayed in their seats.

Wang Da was even more bewildered, his head spinning so much he couldn't even distinguish direction, busy checking his painful palm.

The assailant, having missed, quickly followed up with another strike. His target was clear: ignoring the troublesome Wang Da, he lunged toward Liang Yizheng’s other eye.

Liang Yizheng met the assailant’s murderous gaze. Falling on the ground, he had no time to dodge. With veins bulging on his arms, he once again yanked Wang Da’s collar, violently shoving him into the path of the blade.

Zhou Suirong was too far away. Seeing the white light viciously stabbing toward the back of Wang Da’s head, his throat constricted, unable to make a sound.

In the nick of time, a black shadow charged over like a cannonball. His sturdy frame used brutal force to ram the man aside from the side, sending the assailant crashing into nearby tables and chairs from the residual momentum.

A diner nearby let out a scream, finally seeing the knife gripped tightly in the attacker's hand. Their nerves exploded, and they shouted, "Murder! Holy crap! He’s killing someone!"

Panic spread instantly. Diners jumped up one by one, and because they didn't know where the killer was, they scrambled in all directions.

Officer Feng, who had made a heroic entrance, was suddenly filled with people bumping into him, blocking his path. Some clueless passersby, seeing his large stature, mistook him for the assailant and grabbed wine bottles, ordering him to back off.

Not far away, the assailant climbed up from the ground and stumbled, preparing to blend into the crowd to escape.

Zhou Suirong savagely chased after him and kicked the man’s back.

The assailant heard the rushing wind behind his ears, dodged agilely, and roared while waving the knife in the air. A flurry of wild, chaotic slashes effectively forced Zhou Suirong back.

Officer Feng rushed over, threw a wine bottle forward, and took advantage of the assailant’s distraction to launch a lightning-fast surprise attack, grabbing the wrist holding the knife and twisting it in the opposite direction.

The young officer who had arrived a step late shouted at the crowd: "Police! We are the police, everyone move aside!"

It would have been better if he hadn't shouted. The customers scattered in panic, fleeing in all directions, leaving only a few brave, warm-hearted ones holding folding stools, looking for an opportunity to jump in and assist.

Once the word "police" was out, it was as if the masses had gained an invulnerable golden shield; they gathered back together courageously to watch the excitement.

The crowd spontaneously formed a circle around the struggling assailant, holding their phones high, shaking them as they filmed the two men grappling.

Zhou Suirong quietly retreated to the distance.

The murderer was pinned to the ground by Officer Feng, but upon hearing the word "police," he erupted with unprecedented strength, nearly breaking free from his restraints. Ignoring his pain, he roared: "Liang Yizheng killed someone and you police didn't do anything! His dad is the mayor, you are helping him kill people! He will have retribution, you will all have retribution!!"

A voice from the crowd shouted, "Liang Yizheng is over there!"

The onlookers turned their cameras toward the key figure who had left the battlefield.

Wang Da was stunned, his mind replaying the two times he had brushed with death. A delayed anger surged on his pale face. Still trembling with fear, he whipped around and punched Liang Yizheng in the face. Mad with rage, he cursed harshly: "You damn Liang Yizheng! You used me as a human shield? Are you even a human being?"

Liang Yizheng was caught off guard and staggered back. He raised a hand to cover his aching cheek, his mind still in a daze, causing his reactions to be sluggish. Seeing Wang Da rushing at him with a crazed look, he could only struggle to fend him off with his arms.

Wang Da’s attack had no technique, his fists and arms alternating in strikes against Liang Yizheng.

The latter took several hits, red swollen marks appearing on his exposed skin. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he cowered, shouting angrily: "Police! Stop him!"

The officers, having just subdued the killer and collecting the weapon, were breathless and overwhelmed as they rushed up to break up the fight: "Calm down! What are you doing! Hitting people is against the law!"

Wang Da, like the assailant, became even more furious upon seeing the police. Pinned from behind by the arms, his legs still kicked out toward the other side. His reason completely snapped, and he dared to shout anything: "You’re still acting as his personal bodyguards? Is there no law? Do you really think the police station is his family’s business? Two people killed wasn't enough? Xu Youxiang was almost killed by you too! And the one outside the villa! How many people have you killed! Are you police going to do anything or not!"

The crowd erupted in a tsunami of discussion. Cameras, like pair after pair of dark eyes, locked the surrounding air airtight, recording every muscle movement on their faces.

Seeing the situation about to spiral out of control, the police wished they could grow more hands to cover Wang Da’s mouth, whispering: "Shut up! Stop shouting!"

Liang Yizheng also flared up, completely losing his usual poise. With bloodshot eyes, he argued with Wang Da: "You damn fool, stop spouting nonsense! Who did I kill? Tell me clearly!"

Officer Feng cursed under his breath, his scalp tingling. He looked at Wang Da with an expression that suggested he wanted to dig a hole and bury him. He directed his colleagues to quickly load Wang Da and the others into the car. When it came to arranging seating, he realized the car they had brought couldn't fit all these people.

These three had to be separated, otherwise, they would start a full-blown brawl in the car the moment he wasn't looking.

They were short-staffed.

Fortunately, officers from the nearby precinct arrived.

The group dragged and shoved them into the police cars.

Officer Feng wiped the sweat from his forehead with lingering fear. His short-sleeved shirt was torn into rags, and he had a bloody cut on his chin from the scuffle. Yet, his posture—one hand on his hip, looking around—was quite imposing, slightly masking his dishevelment.

He looked at Fang Qingzhou and her companion, tugged at his collar which was nearly pulled down to his navel, exhaled hot air, and asked, "Did you drive here?"

Zhou Suirong said, "I had some alcohol."

Officer Feng was succinct: "Get in the car."

...

Officer Feng’s car had a lingering, stale smell of cigarette smoke. Wang Da, sitting in the passenger seat, hadn't stopped talking since getting in: "You all saw it! It was that close, the knife nearly sliced right across my head! That dog Liang Yizheng is truly heartless! Does that count as attempted murder? You can’t just ignore it because I’m okay, right?"

Officer Feng rolled down the window, but the howling wind outside couldn't drown out Wang Da’s raspy, duck-like voice.

Wang Da took his silence as a dismissal and persisted: "You police cannot shield him anymore!"

Officer Feng closed the window and said dully, "Recently, a lot of so-called internal news has popped up on the internet, and some people are specifically steering the narrative under Liang Yizheng’s account. They say people died in Liang Yizheng’s villa, claiming to be eyewitnesses, confirming the victims were his classmates or employees, forced to commit suicide because they couldn't stand his bullying, and that the police are deliberately suppressing public opinion to prevent discussion. Do you have any leads on this?"

Wang Da went silent.

For such highly dangerous questions, Fang Qingzhou’s consistent approach was a flat refusal to respond.

Officer Feng slammed the steering wheel in anger: "It was you! You bastard! How many rumors have you spread about us? Do you really think we don't dare to arrest you?!"

"I only said two sentences, the rest has nothing to do with me! It just shows that everyone’s eyes are wide open!" Wang Da’s temper flared, and he retorted with his neck stiff: "You don't need to threaten me! The most you can do is detain me for a few days, but what rumors did I spread? Which sentence in there wasn't true?"

Fang Qingzhou, in the back seat, suddenly called his name: "Wang Da."

Wang Da asked angrily: "What!"

Fang Qingzhou suddenly mused: "You are very much like a jellyfish."

Wang Da was baffled by her overly calm tone. Based on his fondness for jellyfish, his tone lowered: "What does that mean? That I have a free personality?"

Fang Qingzhou said, "Jellyfish have no brains, and they have no hearts."

"..." Wang Da, "..."

His burning anger was extinguished in a bizarrely strange way, leaving behind an indescribable sense of stifling frustration.

Zhou Suirong held her hand and whispered a reminder: "Boss Fang, he is sitting next to the driver."

Fang Qingzhou tried to remedy the situation: "But actually, jellyfish are fierce carnivores; they spend their whole lives eating."

Wang Da took a breath, thinking with indignation: Oh, so you're calling me a glutton now?

Zhou Suirong reminded her tactfully again: "Boss Fang, men don't necessarily feel happy when they hear the word 'fierce'."

Fang Qingzhou: "Oh, the tentacles of some jellyfish contain stinging cells that can shoot venom, which can quickly paralyze..."

Halfway through her sentence, the car braked sharply to a stop. Officer Feng shouted as if he had been saved: "We're here!"

Everyone let out a sigh of relief.

Officer Feng pointed to the gate of the public security branch and said to Wang Da, "You go in first. My colleagues are waiting at the door to take your statement."

After dropping off Wang Da, Officer Feng drove the two back to the hotel.

He pulled out a cigarette, bit it without lighting it, and asked in a lazy, slurred voice: "Have you met Xu Youxiang? Any discoveries?"

Zhou Suirong set the stage: "He said Liang Yizheng’s father is the former director of the municipal bureau."

Officer Feng had a vague, ominous premonition. He gripped the steering wheel tightly to ensure driving safety: "So what? Can't the municipal bureau director have a son?"

Zhou Suirong dropped a bombshell: "The child who blinded Liang Yizheng back then, along with his father, were hounded to death by you police."

Officer Feng’s voice nearly blew the roof off the car: "What?!"

Zhou Suirong confirmed it for him, saying pitifully: "Wang Da and Xu Youxiang are both deeply convinced of this. Wang Da said that Xu Youxiang was a friend from the same village as that child and saw with his own eyes the police escaping from the victim's house after killing them."

Officer Feng released the accelerator, letting the car crawl at a snail's pace on the midnight street. His expression could be described as terrified, and the cigarette in his mouth slid out.

His jaw tightened and then relaxed. Suddenly thinking of something, his gaze swept sharply toward the back seat, and he asked uneasily: "Don't tell me you believe it too?"

"A little verification shows the probability is not high." Fang Qingzhou said, "Because Xu Youxiang kept emphasizing it, I checked the resume of Liang Yizheng’s father. Twenty-some years ago, his father wasn't any municipal bureau director; he wasn't even in B City. He was working in a county in a neighboring city. He was only transferred back after Liang Yizheng’s incident. I don't believe he had the connections or the power at the time to make the entire public security system cover up his murder."

Officer Feng urged: "No, even if he were the municipal bureau director, that wouldn't work! Are you treating us like mafia assassins?"

Zhou Suirong asked: "Why were you so timely today?"

"Isn't it because you said the killer’s target was Liang Yizheng? We let him leave the station and followed him quietly for a while—" Officer Feng calmed down and said, "We caught the suspect. We can follow the trail from him to find the mastermind."

Fang Qingzhou mercilessly severed his wishful thinking: "So what? Perhaps this is exactly what the other side wants."

Upon hearing this, Officer Feng’s heart skipped a beat. While waiting for a red light, he masochistically scratched his itchy scalp.

Fang Qingzhou said, "If the mastermind wanted to kill Liang Yizheng, they could have done it from the start. They didn't need to kill Jiang Ping first, attract police attention, and then commit a reckless crime in broad daylight.

"Tonight, whether it was the assailant attacking in the street, Liang Yizheng using someone as a shield, friends turning into enemies, or the police heroically subduing the enemy, every plot point is a hot topic that can attract social attention."

Fang Qingzhou analyzed methodically: "With a large crowd of onlookers and the video spreading, netizens will dig deep into the content of the verbal abuse between the assailant and Wang Da. Liang Yizheng, as an invisible 'second-generation' official and a high-earning internet celebrity—those two labels combined are inherently likely to incite public resentment. Add in some people muddying the waters, and the public opinion will very likely turn into the police protecting a privileged class while oppressing the grassroots."

Officer Feng heard his heart sinking layer by layer.

"Impactful visuals, dramatic reversals, sensitive social issues, paired with intriguing conspiracy theories—all the elements are there. This matter won't just go viral; it will stay hot for a long time due to the addition of various indistinguishable true and false information." Fang Qingzhou said, "So this is what he meant by 'lively'."

By the time Fang Qingzhou finished, Officer Feng had already fallen into a death-like silence, as if he had been strangled by a living demon, forced to perform a silent play of changing faces.

Fang Qingzhou comforted him: "Don't be nervous. After public opinion ferments, this case might soon be transferred to the municipal bureau. If it gets even bigger, it might go to the provincial department. Then someone will come to share your pressure."

Officer Feng’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He was bitter and unable to speak, his mood turning over for a moment before he let out a laugh of exasperation.

Was that something a human would say?

"Besides, even if you find the mastermind, what can you do?" Fang Qingzhou looked out the window and informed him nonchalantly, "Don't bother looking. His name is Yan Jianyuan."